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No. 6l3,329. Patented Nov. I, I898. E. SIMPKINS.

CUlN-FREED GAS METER.

(Application filed Sept. 13, 1897.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets8heet I.

Patented Nov. l, I898. E. SIMPKINS. I

COIN-FREED GAS METER.

(Application filed Sept. 13, 1897-.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

m2 Noam: PETERS co., PHQTO-LITHO., mswmmom u c.

Patented Nov. I, I898.

'5. SIMPKINS.

GOIN-FREED GAS METER.

(Application filed Sept. 13, 1897.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

ERNEST SIMPKINS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

COlN-FREED GAS-METER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 613,329, dated November 1, 1898.

Application filed September 13, 1897. $erial No. 651,428. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ERNEST SIMPKINs, gentleman, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at 87 Wool Exchange, London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coin-Freed Gas-Meters, (for which I have obtained a patent in Great Britain, No. 23,600, bearing date of October 23, 1896,) of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in coin-freed gas-metersthat is to say, to gasmeters that are provided with mechanism for enabling a predetermined quantity of gas to be supplied for the consumers use after the insertion of a proper coin or coins through a suitably-arranged slot.

According to my invention I provide a screw-threaded spindle carryingv a toothed wheel which can revolve and travel thereon like a nut. The spindle is normally locked, but can be released on the insertion of a coin and can then be given a single complete turn, after which it again becomes locked. In this turning movement the wheel travels along the spindle fora certain distance without being rotated. When the gas-meter is at work, the wheel is caused to rotate on the same screw-threaded spindle and travel back again along the spindle in the opposite direction and eventually shut oif the gas-supply from the meter by acting upon suitable mechanism. A number of coins can be inserted successively by giving the spindle a turn after each insertion, and thus the wheel can be caused to travel completely to one end of the spindle. When in this position, it actuates a device for temporarily preventing the insertion of any more coins.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the same more fully by aid of the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan of a gas-meter with my improvements applied thereto, the upper part of. the outer casing being removed for the sake of clearness. Fig. 2 is a side view, and Fig. 3 is a cross-section, of the coin-freed mechanism. Figs. 4: and 5 are respectively a side view and an edge View of one of the parts of the said coin-freed mechanism, hereinafter referred to. Fig. 6 is a sectional detail view showing a counting device for indicating the amount of money that has been inserted into the apparatus.

a is the screw-threaded spindle, which is formed in two parts or lengths separated by a short space or gap and connected in the man- .nerhereinafter described. I) is the toothed wheel thereon, the hub b of which wheel forms, as it were, a nut for the spindle. This wheel 19 engages-with and is driven by a longtoothed pinion c, which is in gear, by means of a pair of toothed wheels d, with a shaft 6, driven by a crown-wheel-and-pinion arrange= ment J from one of the spindles g of the gasmeter mechanism.

72 is a milled head or knob with Which the spindle a is furnished for the purpose of enabling it to be turned a complete revolution by hand, as above mentioned, after the insertion of each coin, this turning being in a right-hand direction, as shown by the arrows.

On the adjacent ends of the two parts of the aforesaid spindle is arranged a set of disks 6 t" '6 of which 1: and 7; are separated by a space sufficient to allow a coin to enter between them, as indicated by the circle t Fig. 3, the coin resting with its periphery on a pair of pins or rollers The disk 12 is of larger diameter than the other two disks and has a notch t for the purpose hereinafter mentioned. The aforesaid disks are connected together by the pins i so as to form one piece, and thus serve also to connect the two parts of the spindle a.

The screw-threaded spindle is normally held stationary or restrained from turning in either direction by means of a pair of oppositely-arranged pawls 7c is, which are caused by springs 20 to engage in notches i formed in the disk, and thereby act as a device for locking the spindle a. These pawls are so set, however, that they allow a small amount of play, as seen more clearly in Fig. 3, where the play is apparent between the left-hand pawl and its notch i The purpose of this is to allow the coin between the disks 'i c" to exert a wedging action on the pawl to disengage the same at the commencement of a rotation, as hereinafter explained. v

Z is the coin-slot, which is formed in a plate Z, beneath which is arranged a sliding plate or drawer m, carrying a coin-chute n. This chute has a tail or extension n extending downward to the disk Z and of such a length that it will only pass the said disk at the notch i 0 is a stationary guide or chute, which extends downward from a plate or platform 0 and serves to direct the coin into the space between the disks 2' 2".

IVhen the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2 and a coin is inserted into the slot Z, it falls into the chute n and rests upon the platform 0' and is thus prevented from passing out of the said chute until the plate m is drawn to the left and the chute brought over the guide 0. The coin then immediately falls down the said guide and lodges between the disks 'i i. As the tail n of the chute n can only pass through the notched part 2' of the disk 2' it will be seen that it is impossible to move the plate or drawer m, as described, and to drop a coin into the guide 0 until the disks 2' z", secured to the disk i are in a position to receive the said coin.

The device for preventing the insertion of any more coins than the full number the meter is adapted to receive in succession comprises a lever 19, forked at its lower end and pivoted at p, its upper end being provided with a pin 19 which is adapted to enter an aperture in the side of the chute-n, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, thereby preventing the insertion of a coin into the same. The lever 19 carries also a pin 19 against which the wheel I) bears when moved laterally into its extreme left-hand position, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, thereby causing the lever to turn on its pivot and press the pin 19 into the coin-chute. The said pin then acts as a stop to resist the insertion of a coin into the apparatus.

a is the stop-valve of the meter, the stem of which is connected to an arm 7* on a spindle r passing through a stuffing-box T The said spindle is furnished with a crank-pin r, with which a lateral stop I) on the toothed wheel I) engages when said wheel I) is in its normal or extreme right-hand position, and thus keeps the valve 0' closed. lVhen, however, the wheel I) is drawn back by revolving the spindle a, the crank-pin r is released and the gas-valve is free to open. The return of the said wheel to its normal position by the working of the meter brings the stop I) again into engagement with the pin 7 and recloses the valve 0'.

In order to prevent fraud, I may provide, in connection with the coin-freed mechanism, a counting device for indicating the total value of the coins inserted into the apparatus. (SeeFig.6.) Thisdeviceispermanently inclosed in a casings and consists of three axles a, a and a arranged one above the other and provided with disks or dials a a a, bearing graduations representing pounds, shillings, and pence, respectively. The axles a, a, and a are provided with fingers a a a which are adapted to give a step-by-step rotation to toothed wheels at at a with which the said axles a a (Z3 are respectively furnished. As these wheels revolve they bring the graduations on their disks opposite to fixed points 6 25 i and thus indicate the total amount of the coins inserted. In order, therefore, to continue the supply, it is necessary either to prevent the wheel reaching the end of its right-hand travel or to withdraw it therefrom if it has reached such position. For this purpose a coin is inserted in the slot and allowed to fall in to the position shown by the dotted circle 1?, Fig. 3. As the disks i t" t and the spindle a have a small amount of play allowed them by the pawls k 7c, as already stated, a slight turning movement can be imparted to the spindle, and the parts are so arranged that the coin will in this slight movement have its edge inserted beneath the pawl 75 and so raise the said pawl, thus allowing the turning motion of the disks 1' 1M and the spindle a to continue. \Vhen the coin i has been carried around beneath the spindle by the disks, it falls out from between them intoa coin-hopper provided for its reception, and therefore when the spindle has made one complete revolution the pawl will again engage with the disks, as shown in Fig. 3, and prevent further continuation of the rotation until another coin has been inserted in the slot. During this single rotation, however, the wheel I) will have been drawn toward the left for a distance equal to one screw-thread on the spindle a, and the pinion c is so geared with the meter mechanism that it will require the consumption of an amount of gas equivalent to the value of this inserted coin to cause the wheel I) to resume its former position.

As already stated, several coins may be placed successively in the meter and the wheel Z) be thus brought into its extreme left-hand position, if desired, so that a considerable quantity of gas can be prepaid, and the meter will not require the insertion of more coins until this quantity of gas has been consumed.

hat I claim is 1. In a coin-freed gas-meter, the combination of a screw-threaded spindle formed in two parts, a space between said parts for the insertion of a coin, a toothed wheel carried by said spindle and gearing with the meter mechanism, the said wheel traveling in one direction along said spindle without revolving when the spindle is revolved by the user, and traveling in the opposite direction by being revolved by the meter mechanism while the spindle remains stationary, a stop-Valve controlling the gas-supply, and a projection on said toothed wheel for closing said valve.

2. In a coin-freed gas-meter, the combination of a screw-threaded spindle formed in two parts, a gear-wheel thereon, means for causing the operation of the spindle to screw IIO the Wheel back along the same, a pin on said wheel partaking of the rotary motion thereof, a stop-valve, and means operated by said pin when the wheel completes its last revolution to close said valve and shut off the supply of gas.

3. In a coin-freed gas-meter; the combination with a screw-threaded spindle formed in two parts, disks on the adjacent ends of the said parts, means for connecting said disks, a space between the disks to receive a coin, a pair of pawls adapted to act on one of said disks and means for enabling the disks to be partially turned before the disengagement of the pawls substantially as described.

4. In a coin-freed gas-meter, the combination with a screw-threaded spindle formed in two parts, a gear-wheel thereon, disks serving to connect the parts of said spindle, oppositely-arranged pawls acting on said disks, a coin-chute, a lever projecting into the path of the gear-wheel, and a pin on said lever adapted to enter the coin-chute and prevent the passage of any more coins after the wheel has acted on the lever.

5. In a coin-freed gas-meter, the combina-.

tion of a spindle formed in two parts, one of which is screw-threaded, a toothed wheel mounted on said spindle, a long-toothed pinion forming part of the meter mechanism and gearing with said toothed wheel, a coin-chute and a lever controlling the said coin-chute, and means for causing said wheel to operate said lever substantially as described.

6. In a coin-freed gas-meter, the combination with the screw-threaded spindle of disks it" carried by said spindle, with a space between them to receive a coin and one of said disks being provided with notches 2' of pins 1' extending between said disks and serving as supports for a coin, of pawls normally engaging with the notches i so as to prevent rotary movement of the screw-spindle until one of them is released by the action of a coin lying in the space between the disks substantially as described.

7. In a coin-freed gas-meter, the combination with the screw-threaded spindle and the disks 2' i, 6r another disk 1? forming part of the disk 'i and having a notch in its periphery, of a sliding plate having a slot therein and of a chute carried by said sliding plate immediately below its slot and having extensions that lie contiguous to the aforesaid notched disk i so that said sliding plate cannot be withdrawn unless the notch in said disk vi lies opposite said extension of the chute substantially as described.

8. In a coin-freed gas-meter, the combination with the screw-threaded spindle, the sliding slotted plate, its chuten and the notched disks '6 t" 1' of a platform which lies beneath said chute n and closes it when the sliding slotted plate is in a position to permit a coin to be inserted through its slot, and of another chute 0 located immediately above the space between the disks 2' t", and out of alinement with the chute n, whereby unless the said disk 2' occupya position ready to receive a coin, the sliding slotted plate cannot be actuated to bring its chute over the chute lead-' ing to the said disks.

9. In a coin-freed gas-meter the combination with the screw-threaded spindle and the toothed wheel thereon, of a lateral projection on said wheel, and ot a crank-pin on the spindle of the inlet-valve of the meter, the said crank-pin occupying a position to be actuated by the said lateral projection on the toothed wheel when the latter reaches one end of its screw-spindle substantially as .de= scribed and for the purpose specified.

10. In a coin-freed gas-meter, the combina= tion with the screw threaded spindle, the toothed wheel thereon and the chute on the sliding slotted plate; of a pivoted lever 10- cated near one end of the said screw-spindle and having a projection which is capable of lyingtransversely across the chute when the toothed wheel presses against the said lever substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 19th day of August, 1897.

ERNEST SIMPKINS.

Witnesses:

ALFRED BOYLE CROFTS, FRED O. HARRIS. 

